Waratahs bore Lions into submission
Sat, 19 Apr 2008 11:36
Try time: Tatafu Polota-Nau adds five points
The Waratahs stuttered to an uninspiring 26-3 Super 14 win over the Lions in Sydney on Saturday.
The match struggled to come to life, and the teams went into the break with an unusual scoreline of 0-0.
But the 'Tahs managed to get their game going in the second half, scoring four tries for a bonus point win, which lifted them to second place in the log standings for the time being.
The wind blew, the drizzle turned to pouring rain and not a point was scored in the first half to warm the 20 000 spectators at the Sydney Football Ground. Then in the first 20 minutes of the second half 22 points were scored. Famine turned to feast, at least for the Waratahs. The second half was a Lion kill.
The Lions should cancel half-time. Last week they led the Crusaders 6-3 at half-time and lost 31-6. This weekend they were drawing 0-0 with the Waratahs at the break and lost 26-3. Half-times are bad for the Lions.
Not
that they ever really looked like winning. The Waratah defence was excellent and only once did the Lions get really close, but both teams were clearly willing to play. The wind-assisted Lions were expansive but lacking the variety and creativity of the Waratahs who always looked more likely to score but floundered time and again on poor handling. Apart from one fleeting moment the Lions had no variety on attack.
They did start the attacking and had the better of the early stages but Jaco van Schalkwyk ended one attack with a grubber and a knock-on by Joe Van Niekerk ended the next attack and when he lost the ball Van Niekerk ended the third attack. They won a turn-over and chipped to Phil Waugh, who marked.
In that half the Waratahs made 11 handling errors. Their coach had been to France to see if he could get a job with Stade Français and may have had jet lag, but it was the players who showed something like jet lag. They did come close
near the end of the half when two penalties - the only two of the half - set up a five-metre line-out from which they bashed till they conceded a free kick.
They also nearly conceded a score when the Lions destroyed their line-out five metres from their line. The Lions bashed but then went wide left where a long, long pass ended with a knock-on.
The Waratahs attacked in the pouring rain and bashed at the Lions' line. Benn Robinson was a centimetre or two short and then Kurtley Beale threw a double skip to Phil Waugh who plunged over in the corner. 5-0 after 46 minutes.
Willie Wepener and Willem Alberts of the Lions were close and then Robinson was penalised at a five-metre scrum and Jano Vermaak made it 5-3 after 53 minutes. That is as close as the Lions got.
On the half-way line, going right, Beale accelerated through a gap and kicked. Louis Ludik stopped his progress, illegally, and the Lions were penalised about
ten metres from their line. The Waratahs tapped and Dean Mumm burst through four would-be tacklers to score under the posts. 12-3 after 56 minutes.
The score did not stay that way for long. Burgess kicked a long kick downfield towards the Lions' left. Rayno Benjamin dithered and then gave to Jannie Boshoff who kicked. Burgess charged the kick down into the Lions' in-goal where hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau dived on the ball at the posts for a try. 19-3 after 56 minutes.
All that was left now for the Waratahs was a bonus point and they took some time to get it. They turned a penalty for a high tackle by Alberts into a five-metre line-out, mauled and strained and eventually gave Adam Freier a chance to score. That was in the corner but Beale hoisted the conversion between the uprights.
On two occasions in the half the Lions worked big overlaps. But the first time Alberts chipped to concede a mark and the second time Alberts charged to
concede a turnover.
The Waratahs were almost close when Rudi Vogt beat Tom Carter to a touch-down.
Man of the Match: Phil Waugh was great but the man who made a difference was tall scrumhalf Luke Burgess, our Man of the Match.
Moment of the Match: Luke Burgess' chase and charge-down for Tatafu Polota-Nau's try.
Villain of the Match: It was a well-mannered match but one wondered if Tom Carter really thought he had scored when he claimed a try which he clearly had not scored, which did not seem the honest thing to do.
Scorers:
For the Waratahs:
Tries: Waugh, Mumm, Polota-Nau, Freier
Cons: Beale 3
For the Lions:
Pen: Vermaak
Teams:
Waratahs: 15 Sam
Norton-Knight, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Rob Horne, 12 Tom Carter, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Phil Waugh (captain), 6 Dean Mumm, 5 Dan Vickerman, 4 Will Caldwell, 3 Matt Dunning, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Adam Freier, 17 Al Baxter, 18 David Lyons, 19 Beau Robinson, 20 Brett Sheehan, 21 Matt Carraro, 22 Alfi Mafi.
Auto & General Lions: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Dusty Noble, 13 Jaco Pretorius, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Ryno Benjamin, 10 Jaco van Schalkwyk, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Willem Alberts, 7 Joe van Niekerk, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5 Gerhard Mostert, 4 Dewald Senekal, 3 JC Janse van Rensburg, 2 Willie Wepener, 1 Heinke van der Merwe,
Replacements: 16 Ethienne Reynecke, 17 Ross Geldenhuys, 18 Franco van der Merwe, 19 Wilhelm Koch, 20 Chris Jonck, 21 Rudi Vogt, 22 Jannie Boshoff.
Referee: Kelvin Deaker (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Chris Pollock (New Zealand), Nathan Pearce (Australia)
Television match official: Steve Leszczynski (Australia)
Assessor: Scott Young (Australia)
